


the wheels of my heart keep turning

by t_hens



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Introspection, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phanfiction, Reality, Seattle, interactive introverts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-23 00:39:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_hens/pseuds/t_hens
Summary: a day adventuring in Seattle ending on the Seattle Great Wheel gives Phil time to reminisce on how much things have changed for him and Dan and although things are different, he's still just as in love as he was that first time they were together on the Manchester Eye.





	the wheels of my heart keep turning

**Author's Note:**

> I am attending the Seattle ii show and I am absolutely in love with Seattle so I couldn't pass up an opportunity to write something about them being in my neck of the woods.
> 
> beta by [fourthingsandawizard](https://fourthingsandawizard.tumblr.com/) who I couldn't have finished this without. I'm so lucky I get to work with someone so wonderful :)

Phil could feel the sun beating down on the back of his neck and thanked his lucky stars Dan had forced him to put copious amounts of sun cream on before they left the hotel that morning. He could still feel sweat start to bead at his hairline and reached to wipe it away. 

Wasn’t it supposed to be rainy in Seattle? Why did it feel hotter than the hubs of hell? He glanced over at Dan to see that he was starting to sweat a bit too and smiled. 

“Let's find somewhere with A.C. I’m dying,” Dan said, reading Phil’s mind.

“Ohhh, Starbucks!” Phil burst out, making Dan roll his eyes.

“You and your commercial beverages. You are a slave to consumerism, Phil.”

“No! I just like good coffee,” Phil pouted. 

Dan poked him in the ribs, but began pulling up the directions to the nearest Starbucks up on his phone.

“You’re also a sugar addict.” 

Phil had no rebuttal for that, so he merely stuck his tongue out and followed Dan a block down from their hotel, where a Starbucks was nestled onto a strip of shops. They walked in and each gave a quiet groan of relief at the cool air pumping throughout the building, taking a second to enjoy it before walking to the counter and ordering their drinks. Phil ordered a frappuccino and blatantly ignored the pointed look Dan gave him. Dan ordered a plain cold brew, but Phil watched with a smirk on his face as he put sugar into it; not nearly as on brand as he would have liked everyone to think.

They sat down in adjoining chairs and took a few minutes to sit on their phones and appreciate the reduced temperature. Phil Googled ‘things to do in Seattle’ and navigated to a page for tourists exploring the city for the first time. They had technically been here before, but that had been during Tatinof and they had only had an afternoon to look around, not a whole day, so Phil wanted to make the most of it. He showed Dan the list and they decided on their favorites before calling an Uber to take them to their first destination.

They started with the Space Needle since it was closest to them. They crammed themselves into the elevator with the other group of tourists there to get their fill of the city. Phil followed Dan to the window and took in the view, amazed by how beautiful the city was, but when he noticed the glass floor, he decided he had had enough of the view, leaving Dan cackle at him and to take photos for the both of them while he watched from the non-transparent floor near the exit.

When they arrived, Pike’s Place Market was crowded and a bit hectic, but Phil kind of loved it. There were so many things to see, and smell, and _buy!_ Dan had to tear him away from several shops, scolding him about buying more unnecessary trinkets. Their suitcases were already full, and they still had 16 shows to go. They wandered through the market and enjoyed everything, sending each other happy smiles the whole time. Phil loved days like these where they got to actually go out into a city and explore.

They made the quick walk up to the gum wall, which Dan took an insta story of and then proclaimed that it was too gross to continue to look at. They walked to a sushi place that was nearby and ate their lunch in companable silence, both absorbing their surroundings. It was a lot to take in sometimes, a different city nearly every day, but getting to explore and enjoy their days off made the chaos worth it. 

After they finished eating, Phil begged to go the the aquarium, and Dan hadn’t needed much convincing to spend their afternoon looking at cute animals. Phil watched as Dan cooed at the otters and clapped along with the seals during their performance, feeling a warmth burn in his chest that had nothing to do with the heat. When the show was over, they made their way to the exit, Dan chattering happily about how cute all the animals were and which ones were his favorite. 

“So, what’s next on the agenda?” Dan asked, shouldering their backpack. 

“I want to go on the wheel!” Phil said excitedly.

“Haven’t we already been on the wheel before?” Dan asked, though he started walking towards it anyway.

“Yes, but I really like it.” 

Dan laughed again, and Phil could see the corners of his eyes crinkling from the sides of his sunglasses. He poked his finger into Dan’s dimple and was shooed away, Dan whining that he was being bullied. They got into line for the wheel and when it was their turn, they managed to get their own trolley. They sat down on the bench, pressed close together for the first time that day. Phil took a deep breath and laid his head on Dan’s shoulder.

“I like it on here. It reminds me of the Manchester Eye.” 

Dan snorted, but linked his fingers with Phil’s.

“Is that why you dragged me on here? You wanted to relive our Manchester days?”

Phil knew he was trying to be sarcastic, but the fondness in his voice made it impossible to take him seriously, so Phil simply pressed a kiss to his cheek and enjoyed the view. Dan could poke fun all he wanted, Phil didn’t mind. There was something about being on the wheel that did make him feel nostalgic for their days in Manchester; how simple things seemed. There weren’t as many eyes on them, they weren’t a ‘brand’ back then. They were just two kids in love, trying to make their weird hobby that no one understood into a career. 

The Manchester Eye was where they shared their first kiss. Where, when they started to get more popular and couldn’t leave the house without being recognized, they could sneak into a trolley to steal kisses and hold hands and feel like they were a normal couple for 20 minutes. Though they hadn’t visited it often once they had moved to London, it would always hold a special place in his heart. He had been heartbroken when he found out they tore it down, like a small part of him was being destroyed.

“It is really beautiful up here,” Dan said quietly.

Phil nodded, taking in the city underneath them. The sun was starting to set, making the ocean alight with color. 

“This has been nice. I wish we had more days to ourselves.”

Dan sighed, pressing a kiss softly to Phil’s head. 

“I know, but we’re almost done, and then we will be home and we can hibernate and not leave the house for a whole month.”

Phil laughed lightly, knowing that this wasn’t really an exaggeration, if their month of post-Tatinof dormancy was anything to go by. 

“Blanket burritos with Mario Kart and pizza?”

“Sounds perfect.”

They sat together in silence for the rest of their ride, neither wanting it to be over. The time on the wheel had felt like a little slice of normal life, and it was hard to give it up. It was difficult to untangle their hands and step away from each other, Phil’s side instantly feeling colder without Dan being pressed to it. 

Phil knew that once they were back in their hotel room, he could hold Dan’s hand and kiss him all that he wanted, but this was _different._ It was like getting away with something, even though it wasn’t really something he wanted. Neither of them wanted the pressure and the extra burden of having people speculating about them more than they already were, but sometimes it was nice to have Dan’s hand in his in some place other than their living room.

“Ready to head back?” Dan asked softly, lightly touching Phil’s arm.

The touch pulled Phil back to Earth and grounded him a little. He nodded and smiled at Dan, who was already pulling up a driver on his phone. He looked back at the wheel and gave a little sigh, turning back to Dan. Phil poked him in the ribs and let Dan flap his hands at him in fake annoyance.

Stolen moments of time when they could pretend to be a normal couple were great, but what they had all the time was better. Their love for each other was made up of more than a few snatched moments when they could hold hands in public and press quick kisses to the other’s forehead. It was banter, and arguments, and touches that weren’t for the public, and it was just for them to enjoy. 

Seattle’s wheel would never replace the Manchester Eye, but it held a special place in his heart; the gift of a few uninterrupted time with the one he loved. Maybe America wasn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: @tobieallison  
> pillowfort: @t_hens
> 
> [like/reblog on tumblr if that's your thing :)](http://tobieallison.tumblr.com/post/176710655706/the-wheels-of-my-heart-keep-turning)


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